Best visual artist 2013: Isabelle Abbot

Isabelle Abbot

Keen observation. That’s what it takes to win in this category—and Isabelle Abbot knows it. As she says, “It is by moving through the world that we understand its particularities.” Her impressionistic oil paintings zero in on local scenes with slashes of color on canvas or muslin. Kris Bowmaster, who takes the No. 2 spot, earns his keep with vivid oil paintings, often rendered while hanging out on the Downtown Mall.

What’s Isabelle passionate about in Charlottesville?

1. The local food movement. Whether it’s cooking up some eggs from Free Union Grass Farm, attending a cider tasting at Potter’s Craft Cider, or following the blog Beyond the Flavor, I love all the energy and enthusiasm surrounding local food production in this town.

2. Tubing on the James. The perfect summer activity.

3. Pure Barre Charlottesville. A great work out and a fun, inspiring group of women.

The average human’s attention span is a little more than eight seconds (a goldfish’s, by comparison, is nine). Between trivia, TV and tapping your toes at all the best venues, it’s a wonder anyone’s entertained at all. Even still, here’s what’s been holding your focus lately.

What do a century-old building, a greenstone outcrop and an urban ruin have in common? This year, readers say they’re all great places to be entertained. We’ll trust ya. MUSICIAN Love Canon Runner-up: Chamomile and Whiskey Honorable mention: Erin & the Wildfire A wise man once said,

It’s been 85 years since Fry’s Spring Station became a cultural centerpiece in the neighborhood, and for the second time in its lifespan the iconic building and the business inside it have been overhauled. A couple of months ago, Ben Thompson (founder of The Rock Barn) and Tommy Lasley

Sarah White sarah-white.com Runner-up: Travis Elliott A Charlottesville native, Sarah White’s got staying power. She started her career in the late ’90s, released her first studio album in 2000, another in 2006, won “Best Song” in a 2007 contest for “Sweetheart,” which became the title track

Sons of Bill sonsofbill.com Runner-up: Love Canon lovecanon80s.com It was only five years ago that Sons of Bill (three literal sons of UVA philosophical theology and southern literature professor Bill Wilson, plus a drummer and bassist) took to the stage for a UVA battle of the bands and won

Jen Fariello jenfariello.com Runner-up: Sarah Cramer-Shields cramerphoto.com It must be nice to see the world through the eyes of Jen Fariello. It seems every frame she captures is more beautiful than the last, which is why readers voted the wedding and lifestyle photographer into the top slot

106.1 The Corner Runner-up: 91.9 WNRN It’s an easy assumption that working for 106.1 is almost as great as listening to its programming: One of the best things about the station is the Corner Lounge, where artists performing in town stop by to record acoustic versions of their hit songs. To be

McGuffey Art Center 201 Second St. NW 295-7973 mcguffeyartcenter.com Runner-up: Second Street Gallery 115 Second St. SE 977-7284 secondstreetgallery.com Three galleries comprise the McGuffey Art Center, the largest display space in the city. It’s there, in the 1916 school building, that visual

Brad Savage Runner-up: Pam Garrison In music, a “sweet spot” is a term used to describe the point between two speakers where a musician is able to hear the audio mix just as the mixer hears it. For The Corner, the sweet spot is that segment of Charlottesville listeners who want music that’s

The Jefferson Theater 110 E. Main St. 245-4980 jeffersontheater.com Runner-up: nTelos Wireless Pavilion 700 E. Main St. 245-4910 thenteloswirelesspavilion.com The history of The Jefferson Theater starts with a bang and a whimper: In 1912, it was conceived as a “combination house,” doubling as a

DJ Stroud djstroud.com Runner-up: Derek Tobler djtobler.com A little-known fact about DJ Stroud? In addition to his love of music, he’s also an avid surfer with a collection of about 15 surfboards and paddleboards. There’s an obvious connection between ocean waves and sound waves, so we’re not